Rivals at War Review

Rivals at War is a military-based simulation that measures management and leadership skills.

Opening up the game, I was presented with the option of restoring a saved game or selecting a new team. Upon heading towards selection, I was helped out by the gruff Sgt Sinclair, my assigned advisor. Then, I got to pick from 16 countries of origin (there was Canada, China, Brazil, Germany, USA and others). Picking a country got me a staring pack of soldiers, tactics a team uniform and a patch. The soldiers had different roles, and the tactics were enhancements like “air strikes” and “triage.”

I found out during the selection process that the different attributes. Medics could shoot, but had healing properties. the players were customizable. Each player had a stats, as well as my the whole team.

The tactics were battle tools. Using them gave me an advantage, such as delaying the enemy or increasing defense. After selecting the tactics, it was time to battle. The game engine selected the opponent. It pitted me against a more experienced team — I was able to tell from the head-to-head stat sheet. After a cursory check, we got to battling. The game gave me the option of watching, which I gladly chose.

The battle took place in what looked to be an urban area; my team was labeled in reddish hues, and the opponent in blue. It was cool to see the elements play out. The object was to fill up my mission bar before the opposing team fill theirs. The ebbs and flows looked life-like, the graphics looked great in the faux nighttime lighting.

After the battle, which I did end up winning, I received a new stat sheet which reflected my recent success.

Rivals was a nice sim diversion that made it easy to play in short mode or otherwise. It most probably will be liked by folks who love resource management-type games